Central schemes for networked scalar conservation laws (Q6186109)

The authors develop a numerical scheme that does not require a Riemann solver at the junction to solve scalar conservation laws on networks. To this end, the coupling problem of nonlinear equations is embedded in the coupling of linear relaxation systems following the approach developed by \textit{S. Jin} and \textit{Z. Xin} [Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 48, No. 3, 235--276 (1995; Zbl 0826.65078)]. The scheme is mass conservative and yields well defined and easy-to-compute coupling conditions even for general networks. Higher-order extension of the scheme and applications to traffic flow and two-phase flow are discussed. The derived scheme is applied in various numerical experiments to demonstrate its capabilities and performance.